I actually bought two of these by accident, but it did give me a chance to see it they read properly. They were consistant in their readings. We even put them into a cup of very hot water, and they were reading the temps as the glass started cooling off. You don't need to wait for the thermometer to get a reading, because it is almost instant. I'm going to be doing a lot of grilling this summer and feel much better about making sure the chicken is done and hot all the way through.